Top Gun Tiger: Protection, Inc. - Book 7

by Chant, Zoe

  Destiny would have liked to lie there indefinitely, but they hadn’t flown all that far, and if she’d seen a landing area, any pursuit from Apex could have too.

  As if Ethan had read her mind, he said, “I hate to say it, but we’d better get moving. That wreck is going to look like a bulls-eye from above.”

  They reluctantly scrambled up. Ethan went back to the burned-out plane to see if he could salvage anything useful. While he was cautiously poking through the wreckage, Destiny did an inventory of what remained in the backpack. She still had several changes of clothes—the least important thing in it, though she couldn’t help being glad that she wouldn’t have to wear filthy rags around Ethan—a survival blanket, a compass, a lighter, a tiny sewing kit, a canteen, some granola bars, and a lightweight tin pot for boiling water. The medical kit was still there, but it had come open and most of the supplies were gone.

  That was it. She’d lost her cell phone, most of her food and water, and her ammo box. The only bullets she had left were the ones remaining in the magazine.

  And she’d lost her box of pills.

  Her hand flew to her bra, where she always kept a few days’ emergency supply in a watertight packet. Her shirt had been ripped open, and her bra was torn as well. Fiona’s GPS transmitter was gone. And so were her pills.

  The fear Destiny had felt at the thought that the plane would crash was nothing to the fear she felt now. She frantically patted herself all over, then retraced their steps from the plane at a crawl, searching for the little packet of gray-green capsules in the dark green moss. But it was nowhere to be found. It and the transmitter must have fallen to the floor of the plane when Ethan had dragged her from the wreckage, and been consumed in the fireball. Just like the box that had fallen from her backpack.

  They were lost in the wilderness, probably being pursued by deadly enemies, and the one way her team could have found her had just been destroyed. And now the time bomb inside her had begun to tick.

  Ethan looked up from his search of the wreckage. All he’d found that had survived the fireball was the crowbar and a hammer.

  “Think we can use this?” he asked, holding up the hammer.

  “I guess we could hit someone over the head with it.” She was amazed at how normal her voice sounded. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad liar after all…

  He frowned. “Destiny? Is something wrong? I mean apart from, well, everything.”

  She bit her lip. The absolute last thing she wanted him to know was what a freak she was—a literal freak, a freak of nature. But if she didn’t tell him, he’d find out for himself, and that would be worse. She might even become a danger to him.

  “I… I lost something.” She indicated her torn shirt, only belatedly realizing that she was displaying quite a lot of cleavage. Ethan grinned. “Not my bra. My medication. I had some in my duffel bag, but it fell out. And some in my shirt, but that’s gone too.”

  His smile faded. “Was that the, uh, female problem stuff? Is it dangerous for you to not take it? Or just unpleasant?”

  He was probably imagining horrible cramps or nonstop bleeding. She wished it was just that. And she really didn’t want to have to explain then and there. She could wait another day, at least. Probably a couple. Maybe by then they’d be able to radio for help, and he’d never need to know. “It won’t kill me. Let’s not talk about it, it’s embarrassing.”

  “No problem. But let me know if you need, I don’t know, a massage or a hot pack or anything. I promise not to ask any questions.”

  Good, he did think it was cramps. And also, how sweet of him to offer! She was tempted to request a massage, just because. “Thanks. Where are you going to find a hot pack in the jungle, jarhead?”

  “A Marine can improvise. Got any MREs in your backpack? I could use the heating element.”

  “Ugh, no. I had some actual food, but most of it fell out. Want a granola bar?”

  “I’m okay. I had a country captain chicken MRE earlier.”

  “Yecch. Better you than me. Want some aspirin?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He looked over her half-empty medical kit with mild dismay, then shrugged and swallowed a few aspirin.

  “The medical tape’s still there,” she said. “Shall I tape your ribs?”

  He looked tempted, but shook his head. “Later. Let’s get some distance between us and the plane first. The last time I tried to hide out from Apex, I didn’t go far enough. And look what happened.” He held up his bloody, swollen left hand.

  Destiny inwardly renewed her vow to kill the bastard who had tortured him.

  They began to make their way through the forest, not heading in any particular direction other than “away from the very conspicuous crash site.” The jungle terrain wasn’t easy to walk in. They kept having to step over fallen trees, walk around bushes, and shove through thick vines that hung from the trees like spiderwebs. Monkeys chattered and swung from the vines, birds chirped and sang in the trees, and black millipedes the size of snakes scuttled away from their feet.

  Normally she would have enjoyed a good hike through rough and interesting terrain, especially with Ethan. But she had no attention to spare for anything but looking out for danger, worrying about the loss of her pills, and trying to get as far away from the crash site as fast as possible so they could stop and she could tend to his injuries as best she could with her limited supplies. From Ethan’s silence, she suspected that he was equally wrapped up in worries, probably over his buddies.

  After about an hour, she saw that he was pale beneath his tan, and had his jaw clenched so tight that it was probably giving him a headache. Despite the aspirin, he was obviously still in a lot of pain.

  “Let’s take a rest,” she said. “Just a short one. Take off your shirt.”

  “You move fast,” he teased, then gritted his teeth as he started to pull it off. It clearly hurt like hell for him to try to lift his arms above his head.

  She helped ease off the shirt. His muscular chest and arms were covered with a striking pattern of abstract tattoos. But much as she’d wanted for years to get a look at him shirtless, she couldn’t take the time to appreciate the view now. His side was covered with a huge bruise nearly as black as the tattoos, making her wince in sympathetic pain. No wonder he’d been clutching his side!

  She taped his ribs, and was glad to hear him sigh in relief when she was done.

  “Thanks,” he said. “That’s better.”

  All the same, he winced as he tried to get his shirt back on. She helped him tug it over his arms and chest. And there went her chance to look at them. Oh well. It would only frustrate her to look but not touch.

  Ethan’s voice interrupted her reverie on his body. “Hey—I hate to ask, but would you mind if I carried your gun? You can turn into a tiger, so…”

  “Yeah, you’re right. That evens up the firepower.” She handed it over, wondering at herself as she did so. Tiger or not, she’d normally hate to go unarmed when there might be armed enemies after them. But giving up her weapon to Ethan didn’t make her feel any less safe. In fact, she felt more safe knowing that he was watching her back.

  “How far are we from civilization?” Ethan asked. “Apex doesn’t count.”

  “No, I’d hardly call them civilized. By foot, at least a couple days. Hiking over this terrain, with hills and valleys and all, might be more like a week.” Anxiety made her belly clench. A week without her pills!

  He also looked worried. “I think we should go back. God knows what Apex might do to my men in a week. But I think we’re only a day or two away from their base.”

  She calculated the time they’d spent in the plane, and nodded. “Yeah, I think so too.”

  “Between you and me and your gun, we could ambush some guards and break into the base. Even if we can’t break anyone else out, if we get to a radio, we could call for help.”

  “Sounds good,” she said with relief. One or two days without her pills—she should be able to hand
le that. And then he’d never need to know. “Let’s make a wide circle, so we don’t run into anyone who finds the crash site, and start making our way back to the base. We can camp out in the jungle tonight, and hopefully we’ll be there the day after.”

  They used her compass and recollected flight path to figure out which way the base was, and set off. Despite the urgency of their situation, she couldn’t help enjoying walking through the jungle with him. She could almost imagine that they were dating, maybe hiking on the adventure vacation she was supposedly on.

  Yeah, she sighed to herself. Wouldn’t that be nice.

  They camped at dusk. Not daring to make a fire lest the smoke or light should draw pursuers, they shared out the granola bars and some water, leaving enough for the next day.

  Destiny could have eaten their entire supply of granola bars and had room for more—she could’ve eaten a country captain chicken MRE, and been grateful to have it—but Ethan only nibbled at his, then set it aside.

  “Don’t save it for me,” she said. “You need your strength.”

  “I ate earlier, remember? I’ll finish it for breakfast.” He stuffed it in his pocket, then leaned against a tree. “I’ll take first watch.”

  She lay down beneath the survival blanket, but sleep didn’t come easily. Every time she started to drift off, something would awaken her, some screeching monkey or yelping creature or worrying thought.

  Tomorrow would be her first full day without her pill since she’d been eleven. She’d never had a problem taking them in the Army—she’d gotten a note from a helpful doctor claiming they were for female problems. Plenty of women took actual birth control pills for those exact reasons, and she wasn’t the only one who was careful to keep extra stashes in case of emergencies. She thought nothing much would happen in one day, but the truth was that she didn’t know how long she could go, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way. Maybe she should tell him…

  …only Ethan had enough problems, didn’t he, without also having to worry about her? He should have been starving after hiking all day, no matter how much he’d eaten earlier. He was probably in so much pain that it had spoiled his appetite. She should have pushed him to take more aspirin. But they didn’t have much left. Maybe he was right to save it for later. At least he had some pills, even if they weren’t much…

  Fear stabbed unexpectedly through her heart. What if she hurt him?

  I won’t, Destiny told herself fiercely. I’ll feel it coming. If I feel like I can’t control myself, I’ll just run off into the jungle. Anyway, it’s just one day. Maybe two. That’s all…

  “Destiny?” Ethan had his hand on her shoulder. The night was dark, but she could see his pale face in the moonlight. “Your watch.”

  “Thanks. See anything?”

  “A snake or two. Looked like they were headed out to cuddle up with you.”

  “Ugh!”

  He chuckled. “I shooed them away.”

  “Appreciate it. Get some sleep. I’ll keep the snakes off.”

  He curled up under the blanket. In the quiet of the jungle night, she could easily hear the slight roughness of his breathing.

  He’s not just injured, he’s sick, she thought. Coming down with a cold or something. Not surprising after he got chucked into a river… Still, poor Ethan! He ought to be in bed with chicken soup. Once they finished their mission and got back home, she’d make him some herself…

  …but no, he was still on active duty. He’d have to go straight back to his unit, with barely a chance to say good-bye, and definitely none to wait around for six-hour chicken stock to finish simmering on her stove.

  She sighed. Well, he’d go straight to the infirmary, and be taken care of even if she couldn’t do it herself. Destiny pulled the blanket a little closer around her shoulders and resumed her watch.

  In the morning, Ethan once again tried to stuff his granola bar in his pocket. He caught her raised eyebrows and flushed, guilty as a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. “I’m just not hungry.”

  “You are not trying to hike all day on an empty stomach. You’ll keel over. Look, I know you’re not feeling great—”

  “I’m fine,” he said instantly.

  She went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “But you have to eat. Take some more aspirin.”

  He shook out a few more, swallowed them, then finished the granola bar, chewing and swallowing as if he had a gun to his head. “Let’s go.”

  They took a compass bearing, then set out. The jungle noises seemed oddly sharp, colors unusually bright, smells extra-distinct. Had everything been this… vivid… the day before?

  You’re imagining things, Destiny said to herself. She didn’t dare address her tiger.

  For a few hours, they made good time. Then she noticed that Ethan was slowing down. She took a closer look at him. He was sweating, which wasn’t surprising in the jungle heat, but his face was pale.

  “Let’s take a break,” she suggested.

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  “You don’t look fine, jarhead.”

  “I’m fine,” he insisted, then broke into a coughing fit that nearly doubled him over.

  “Sit down. You need a break.”

  “I’ll be fine.” He straightened up, swayed, then braced his feet firmly on the ground. “Come on.”

  “How much good are you going to be breaking into the base if you’re sick and—”

  His eyes widened in alarm at something he saw over her shoulder. “Drop!”

  As he snatched her gun from his belt, she threw herself to the ground. There was a gunshot, the sound of something breaking, and a yell.

  “Freeze!” a male voice shouted.

  She looked up from the ground. One of the men who’d been manhandling Ethan at the airfield was holding a pistol on her. Ethan had her gun aimed at him. A tranquilizer rifle with a shattered stock lay on the ground between them. Destiny supposed Ethan had shot it right out of their attacker’s hands.

  “Good shot, Ethan,” she said.

  “Not really,” he replied, not taking his gaze off the enemy. “I should’ve gone for his head.”

  “I guess you’re from Apex,” said Destiny to their enemy. “Give it up. You’re outnumbered. Ethan’s got a gun and I can turn into a tiger.”

  “Try it,” the Apex agent replied. “I can shoot it in the head before it can spring. McNeil, drop your weapon.”

  “You drop your weapon, Kritsick,” Ethan retorted.

  Neither of them moved.

  Rip his throat out!

  Her tiger’s snarl was so unexpected and vicious that Destiny barely repressed a start.

  He’s got a gun aimed at my head, Destiny replied silently.

  Her tiger snarled again, long and low and predatory. We can move faster than a puny human. Rip out his throat and drink his blood!

  Gross, Destiny replied. Stop talking. You’re distracting me. Don’t worry, we’ll get our chance to fight.

  Kritsick broke the silence. “Ever heard of a daeodon?”

  “No,” said Destiny. “Ever heard of a Sig Sauer? That’s what Ethan has aimed at your head. He’s a Recon Marine; he won’t miss. Kneel down and put your hands on your head.”

  The Apex agent went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “It’s an extinct mammal from the Miocene era. A wild boar the size of a rhinoceros. They call them ‘hell pigs.’”

  “So?” Destiny inquired. “You got one on a leash?”

  Kritsick bared his teeth in a nasty smile. “I’m a daeodon shifter. My hell pig gives no quarter. You two surrender now, and I’ll take you in safe and sound. Make me show you my daeodon, and you come in trampled or chomped or tusked half to death. Or all the way to death. He’s a little hard to control.”

  “Destiny?” Ethan called. “Is there even such a thing as extinct animal shifters?”

  “I came across one once,” she admitted. “A saber-tooth tiger. He was running a gang in Santa Martina. I’ve never heard of any other extinct shifter
s before. We only found out what he was when he shifted and bit Rafa. I shifted and bit him, and he took off. Never saw him again.”

  “Hugo O’Dell?” inquired Kritsick.

  “Yeah,” Destiny said. “That’s the guy.”

  “He was one of ours. An early experiment, back when we were using common criminals.” The agent gave a humorless chuckle. “He made the mistake of running away from us. We took care of him. Now do you believe me?”

  “Who cares,” Ethan said. “If you don’t get down on your knees right now, you’re a dead man. Your hell pig can’t survive a bullet in the head.”

  “Sure it can,” said Kritsick, and shifted.

  One moment Destiny was looking at a man in jungle fatigues; the next instant, she was faced by the hell pig. Just like he’d said, it was a wild boar the size of a rhinoceros. But he hadn’t mentioned the bulging armor plates around its face, the ivory tusks, or the maddened red eyes. She’d never seen anything like it, saber tooth tiger included. That had just seemed like an unusual type of big cat. This was a true monster, a prehistoric beast that should never walk the earth.

  Ethan didn’t flinch. His gun was already leveled at the beast, and he fired. There was no way he could have missed—not him, not with a creature that size and at that distance.

  But the hell pig only shook itself. If the bullets had wounded it, Destiny sure couldn’t see any blood. It let out a ferocious bellow, pawed the ground, and charged straight at her.

  Destiny wasted no time waiting for it. She summoned her tiger—was it her imagination, or did the big cat seem to spring eagerly to the forefront?—and leaped over the charging daeodon’s head. Four tiger paws landed on its back. She tried to dig in her claws, but they scrabbled uselessly over its back. It seemed to have some sort of armor just below its skin. Her claws left bleeding scratches, but they were very shallow. She couldn’t even get enough of a grip to hold on.

  She bent her head and closed her strong tiger’s jaws over the back of the hell pig’s neck, and bit down as hard as she could. But her teeth met the same resistance her claws had. She left shallow scratches, no more.